House debates

Thursday, 1 March 2018

  • Statement by the Speaker (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      I wish to make a brief report to the House on the 24th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth in the Seychelles between 8 and 11 January this year, which I attended...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Standing Committee on Environment and Energy; Report (1 speech)
      I present a corrigendum to the report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Energy entitled Powering our future: inquiry into modernising Australia's electricity grid, together with the...
  • Register of Members' Interests (0 speeches)
    • (1 speech)
      As required by resolutions of the House, I table copies of notifications of alterations of interests received during the period 21 June 2017 to 27 February 2018.
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Statements by Members (0 speeches)
    • Solomon Electorate: Commonwealth Games Baton Relay (1 speech)
      Tomorrow, the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games baton relay will travel through Darwin and Palmerston. I want to acknowledge the baton bearers that have been selected to participate: Floss Roberts, a...
    • Regional Education (1 speech)
      I want to thank the CWA in Western Australia, who recently marched on state parliament to protest against the $41 million of sweeping cuts to regional education. One of the most blatant and...
    • Battle of Sunda Strait: 76th Anniversary (1 speech)
      Seventy-six years ago today, the HMAS Perth and the USS Houston were both lost to the sea in the Battle of Sunda Strait. Three hundred and seventy-five Royal Australian Navy sailors of the HMAS...
    • Swan Electorate: Sports Challenge Australia (1 speech)
      Last week, I joined Westpac at their South Perth branch in my electorate of Swan for a morning tea to present Sports Challenge Australia with $10,000 from the Westpac Foundation. Sports Challenge...
    • Cambodia: Human Rights (1 speech)
      I rise today to express my deep concern and anger—speaking also on behalf of the member for Werriwa—about the statements that were made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is due...
    • Leader of the Opposition (1 speech)
      Although members of the Labor Party might think it boring that there have been 400,000 new jobs created in the Australian economy, it's something we should celebrate. In the electorate that I...
    • Halal Expo Australia (1 speech)
      Earlier last month I attended one of my favourite events the year, the Halal Expo at Rosehill Gardens. The Halal Expo has been running for four years now; I've attended each year. It's the only...
    • Bowman Electorate: Infrastructure (1 speech)
      Like every outer metropolitan city, Redlands struggles with increasing population and threats to the local environment. The Redland City Council has just approved a $1.2 million bridge that...
    • Batman By-Election (1 speech, 1 comment)
      I want to give a shout-out to some of our amazing volunteers and supporters who are powering our campaign to turn Batman green. We're not a party of big corporate donations. Instead, our power...
    • Christie, Mr John (1 speech)
      I was saddened earlier this year to learn of the passing of one of the kindest gentleman I have had the pleasure of knowing, John Christie. John was born in 1947 in Sydney and moved to...
    • Broadband (1 speech)
      Less than 20 kilometres from Parliament House, in the nation's capital, in 2018, Canberrans are battling with upload and download speeds of less than one megabit per second. In some parts, it is...
    • Berowra Electorate: Greenway Park (1 speech)
      We all know how competitive sport can be, not just on the field but between the various sporting codes themselves. Australia has a famous tradition of inter-sporting-code rivalry, so what could...
    • National Disability Insurance Scheme (1 speech)
      Kirsty Carpenter from South Windsor is 31 and an NDIS participant. She is an osseo-integration amputee, having had her leg amputated above the knee. She has a titanium implant inserted into the...
    • Rainbow on the Plains Hay Mardi Gras Festival (1 speech)
      On 7 December last year, this parliament created history by passing new same-sex marriage laws. Forty years ago, Sydney created history with its first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. It is my...
    • Batman By-Election (1 speech)
      For years we have been lectured to by the Greens party, with them wagging their finger, pointing at us and saying: 'We're the party of the grassroots. We're the people who are inclusive.' Not...
    • Tangney Electorate: Willetton Basketball Stadium (1 speech)
      It's a great pleasure to update the House on an issue I have updated the House on a number of times, and that is the Willetton basketball stadium expansion project. It's a project I fought very...
    • Home Care Packages (1 speech)
      Nine hundred and fifty older Australians on the Central Coast of New South Wales are waiting for home care packages, and some have been waiting for 12 months. They are among 100,000 older...
    • Water (1 speech)
      Today I wish to speak about water for the regions. It's already there, but we just need to capture a bit of it before it goes rushing out to the reef and killing the seagrass, which then of...
    • Centrelink (2 speeches)
      We were outraged when this grovelling government announced that 20,000 people who received debt notices as a result of this government's reprehensible robo-debt scheme turned out to owe nothing...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Minister for Jobs and Innovation (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. All of our staff, regardless of which political party their MP belongs to, work incredibly hard and should have a respectful workplace. In Senate estimates...
    • Economy (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on the action the government is taking to create jobs and grow the economy, including for families in my electorate...
    • Minister for Human Services (9 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Human Services. I refer to a report last night from BuzzFeed News that the office of the then justice minister tipped off a newsroom so that—
    • National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline to the House the importance of the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence and the support the government is...
    • Minister for Human Services (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Human Services, and I refer to his previous answer. The statement from his spokesperson yesterday said that 'neither the minister or anyone in his office...
    • Economy (12 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Could you advise what free-marketing has done for, or rather to, Australia? Are you aware that, because of the ALP-LNP's free-marketing, 68 per cent of the...
    • Minister for Human Services (3 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Human Services. I refer to the minister's previous answers and to the statement from his spokesperson yesterday, 'Neither the minister nor anyone in his office...
    • Employment (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on how the Liberal-National government is helping to...
  • Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
    • (2 speeches)
      I'd like to draw to the attention of the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon a great friend of Australia, former Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key. On behalf of the...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • Minister for Human Services (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Human Services, and I refer to the minister's previous answers. Did the minister or his office at the time inform anyone other than the office of the Prime...
    • Great Barrier Reef (3 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Will the minister update the House on what recent research says about the value of the Great Barrier Reef to Australia's tourism...
    • Minister for Human Services (7 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Human Services. I refer to the minister's previous answers, particularly the last one. Did the minister or his office at any time prior to the AFP raid inform...
    • National Security (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister update the House on the importance of a strong and consistent approach to border protection? Is the minister aware of any...
    • Minister for Human Services (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Human Services, and I refer to his previous answers. A moment ago, the minister said he rejected the allegation. Does he deny his office being the original...
    • Taxation (10 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Revenue and Financial Services. Will the minister update the House on the importance of creating a tax setting which helps grow the economy and reduces the tax...
    • Energy, Environment, Economy (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Energy. Will the minister update the House on the importance of consistency in energy and environmental policy, in order to attract foreign...
    • Taxation (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that he's making over 150,000 Tasmanians pay more income tax every year, while providing a $65 billion handout to big business?
    • South Australia: Health and Aged Care (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister update the House on how the coalition government's record support for the South Australian health and aged-care system compares to...
    • Taxation (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that Tasmanians will be among the hardest hit by the government's increases to income tax, with 80 per cent of Tasmanian...
    • Aged Care (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney update the House on the importance of responding to reports of elder abuse, especially in my home state of South Australia? What is the...
    • Health Care (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister's cut millions of dollars from Tasmania's public hospitals and now wants to lock in these cuts for another seven years. Almost 6,000...
    • Employment (3 speeches)
      Will the Minister update the House on how the coalition government's regional jobs and investment package for North Queensland is unlocking job opportunities for hardworking Australians in my...
  • Statement by the Speaker (0 speeches)
    • Parliament House: Security (1 speech)
      I have a short statement for the information of members. Members will be aware of the significant construction works currently taking place in and around Parliament House. As part of these...
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Queensland: Employment (27 speeches)
      I have received letters from the honourable member for Kennedy and the honourable member for Gorton proposing that definite matters of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion...
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
    • Constitutional Recognition Committee; Appointment (3 speeches)
      by leave—I move: That: (1) a Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples be established to inquire into and report on...
    • Intelligence and Security Committee; Report (1 speech)
      On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present the following reports: Review of the 'declared area' provisions: sections 119.2 and 119.3 of the Criminal...
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Energy (1 speech)
      I rise to speak about the ongoing crisis of gas prices. The hurt to households is bad enough—and, if we're honest, we all can recount stories, which continue, of pensioners not being able...
    • Electric Vehicles (1 speech)
      We live in a time when technological change is occurring at an incredible pace. The change is disrupting old industries and services but also creating new opportunities for consumers, businesses...
    • Lindsay Electorate (1 speech)
      I rise to talk about some amazing people in my electorate—AKA the Lindsay brag! Every time I'm on my feet in here, I get to say the people of Lindsay are the best asset to our community....
    • Chisholm Electorate: Pinewood Primary School (1 speech)
      I rise today to talk about the leaders of any organisation. The leaders are integral in defining the culture and sense of community of any organisation: any school, business or community group....
    • Employment (1 speech)
      Every day we are forced to witness the coalition's feast of self-congratulation. They point one way—towards jobs growth in this country—while they turn their back on the plight of the...
    • Regional Australia (1 speech)
      I wish to talk about some of the things that need to happen in regional Australia to make regional Australia an even better place to live, an even better place to work and an even better place to...
    • Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (2 speeches)
      I rise to pay tribute to the 78ers, those brave gay men and lesbian women and their supporters, who, 40 years ago, marched in favour of recognition of their rights as human beings for legal...
  • Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
    • Kingston Electorate: Hallett Cove (1 speech)
      Hallett Cove is one of the beautiful suburbs in my electorate, in Kingston, and indeed the Hallett Cove foreshore is a special community resource that allows families to gather along the Hallett...
    • Latrobe Valley (1 speech)
      I'm not angry very often, but I do get angry when there are attacks on Latrobe Valley people, residents and community when they are without foundation. Doctors for the Environment claimed that...
    • National Disability Insurance Scheme (1 speech)
      Two weeks ago I spoke about a little girl in my electorate named Georgia who has autism, epilepsy and profound global development delay. Georgia can't dress herself, brush her teeth or comb her...
    • Mallee Electorate: Tourism (2 speeches)
      Easter time is a month away. One of the great things about living in my part of the world is how beautiful it is. The electorate of Mallee, in the Wimmera, is a third of the state of Victoria and...
    • Adani Carmichael Coalmine (1 speech)
      For more than five years, North Queensland has been asking the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party one simple question: do you support the Carmichael coal project? For five years they...
    • Cambodia: Prime Minister Hun Sen (1 speech)
      I lend my voice against the latest threats made by the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, ahead of his visit to Australia in March for the ASEAN summit. With the upcoming national elections in...
    • Bailey, Mr Chris, Coolaburoo Neighbourhood Centre, Banks Electorate: Local Sporting Champions (1 speech)
      In a few weeks, on 31 March, we'll come together to celebrate and acknowledge the 20 years during which Chris Bailey has been the commanding officer of the Air League Riverwood Hornets Squadron....
    • Nick Xenophon's SA-BEST (1 speech)
      There's a state election in South Australia and a non-existent Liberal Party campaign in the northern suburbs. Scrutiny is naturally starting to fall on candidates of Nick Xenophon's SA-BEST...
    • Parkes Electorate: Abattoir (2 speeches)
      I rise to speak about a very exciting project that's happening in my electorate at the moment and that's the small stock abattoir at North Bourke in New South Wales. It's a $61 million project...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Ordnance Factory Bendigo (1 speech)
      It was a pretty big day in the electorate last week. The old ordnance factory, as it's affectionately known, Bendigo Thales, came together to celebrate its 75th year of Defence manufacturing. The...
    • Outside the Locker Room (1 speech)
      After our time on the health committee together, I know the subject that I rise to speak on will interest you dearly, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker Georganas. We worked hard on the subject I speak...
    • Philp, Mr Greg (1 speech)
      I rise today, two short days before a state election to be held on 3 March in Tasmania and, of course, a further state election in South Australia two weeks later. Governments will be formed as a...
    • BevCon (2 speeches)
      Oz Comic-Con is something I'm sure you have heard of, Deputy Speaker Georganas. You look like a fan! Star Wars, Marvel, Thor—I'm sure my wife wishes I had the physique of Thor! But I'm sure...
    • Tasmanian State Election (1 speech)
      On Saturday, 3 March, Tasmanians have a choice. They have a choice between two leaders. One is the incumbent Liberal Premier, who only trots out for the puff pieces on the good news occasions and...
    • Goldstein Electorate: Family Life, Goldstein Electorate: Community Participation, Goldstein Electorate: Sport (1 speech)
      I was recently privileged as the member for Goldstein to visit a local community op shop that has been set up by a wonderful community organisation in the Goldstein electorate, Family Life, whose...
    • Blair Electorate: Awards (1 speech)
      Ipswich and the Somerset region boast some of the hardest-working community groups and members I've ever seen. I recently had the opportunity to see a new cohort of people become part of the...
    • Berowra Electorate: Roads (1 speech)
      Berowra is home to the worst road in Australia, Pennant Hills Road. Pennant Hills Road is choked with trucks, B-doubles—heavy traffic that makes driving dangerous and intimidating. Last...
    • Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Minister for Human Services (1 speech)
      I rise to indicate that, given the performance by Minister Cash yesterday and the 125 days it's now been that she has refused to answer questions in relation to her office's involvement in the...
    • Chisholm Electorate: Lunar New Year (1 speech)
      I rise today to discuss the Lunar New Year, which has been celebrated across Melbourne with such energy and excitement, particularly in my electorate of Chisholm, where the Year of the Dog was...
    • International Women's Day (1 speech)
      I rise to make a contribution today which celebrates International Women's Day. It celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women around the world. I want to spend...
    • South Australian State Election (1 speech)
      I rise to express my disappointment and, to be frank, utter confusion at the Nick Xenophon Team and their policy stance on tackling drug use in our communities. The coalition government is...